Posts by done4good

57

Reasons for Stagnation in Growth. AKA YearBook Numbers!

by ttdtt in

so why has the growth flatlined?

why is less time spent in the ministry?

why have aux pios droped by 1/3rd?.

done4good

Just to fix my math, according to the yearbook numbers provided, growth is ~1%, not less than 1%. This is still at or less than population growth.

d4g

45

The story of my exit

by mrsObfuscate in

i have been lurking here for about 6 months, and being the last day of the year, and ready to start the new one afresh, i want to share the story of our exit from the org.

i have found the personal experiences of others of immeasurable value, (and its been a while since a good exit story has been posted) that i hope this can be of benefit to at least someone.. .

my mother became a jehovahs witness when i was about 9 or 10. i remember initially hating all of the new sanctions put on our lives (no birthdays and christmas anymore) but for some reason i soon after joined her in attending the meetings and eventually got baptized at the age of 14. my staunch catholic father converted a couple of years later.

done4good

Wonderful story, MrsObfuscate !

d4g

57

Reasons for Stagnation in Growth. AKA YearBook Numbers!

by ttdtt in

so why has the growth flatlined?

why is less time spent in the ministry?

why have aux pios droped by 1/3rd?.

done4good

Existing in some form well into the future, is a lot different than existing as-is.

The organization is being forced to make changes to survive. These are not progressive reforms, but rather tactical measures to keep the corporation alive, and none of them are good for morale of the R&F. A shell of a corporation may well exist for a very long time, but there is no denying that either a tipping point has been reached, or is rapidly approaching. WT is in a positive feedback loop. These are more commonly known as "vicious cycles", and they usually are not broken, until something catastrophic happens, unless some negative feedback source is introduced. Based on the way WT has proven itself to deal with external pressures, (such as the ARC), I think that is highly unlikely.

As far as the theory that there is still "growth" happening, and how that means all is still good, is concerned, (if the numbers can even be trusted), I make the appeal to statistical trends. A slowing of growth is a sign of weakness. All systems carry a certain level of inertia to allow them to not only grow, but also do so at a certain velocity, if healthy. That velocity has slowed in recent years, and if the stats are accurate for the past year, growth has slowed <1%. If we were economists, (or investors), looking at this type of trend from an economic perspective, we would have a good statistical indicator that the economy was about to head for recession. WT is either at or near a tipping point of decline.

d4g

57

Reasons for Stagnation in Growth. AKA YearBook Numbers!

by ttdtt in

so why has the growth flatlined?

why is less time spent in the ministry?

why have aux pios droped by 1/3rd?.

done4good

To summarize, the information age is killing them slowly, but the pace of the decline is increasing rapidly. This correlates well to the effects of Moore's law, in general.

WT can no longer teach very detailed and esoteric doctrine. It is either too easy to disprove, or current events have rendered it false by now. In response to this, the WT has taken several measures over the last 15-20 years to dummy their doctrine down, and simplify the "work". This has led to widespread apathy among the faithful.

The apathy in turn leads to ignoring the direction of the leadership. This is why JWs now get an education, save for retirement, etc. In response to this, the leadership tries to turn the screws tighter by using the tools of the information age, (such as the website and particularly the streaming broadcasts), to enact greater control, but this fails as well, as the leaders are seen as both uncaring and incompetent in plain sight. This in turn leads to further apathy and disillusionment, and thus a positive feedback loop has developed. Positive feedback loops in nature tend to create unstable systems.

Add to this the child abuse cases, lawsuits, (which they can no longer hide from in the information age), and the constant demands for more money, (yet another positive feedback loop in of itself), and we have a formula for a rapid decline.

d4g

7

Brooklyn Should Get A Thank You From the WTS

by konceptual99 in

jw
friends

http://www.crainsnewyork.com/article/20151217/opinion/151219924/jehovahs-witnesses-should-leave-brooklyn-a-big-thank-you-gift.

done4good

HA! Never happen...

Working in NYC I can tell you even I did not expect as much negative press as the WTS has managed to get since they decided to move out of the city. The local Brooklyn media has no love loss.The attitude is very much, "Don't let the door hit you in the ass!".

d4g

23

"Theocratic Warfare" still alive and well within Watchtower in 2016!

by ILoveTTATT2 in

jw
friends

it seems like the watchtower is still encouraging "theocratic warfare".

in the no.1 watchtower of 2016, they (ironically) printed an article on honesty.here is something they said:"lyingwhat is it?

saying something false to someone who is entitledto know the truth.

done4good

The organization has always been duplicitous:

1. Pioneer "book" with special info only for those with said title.

2. Elder's book, (far worse).

3. Attention to appearance, "stumbling", etc.

4. "Visibility" in field service

5. All kinds of revisionist history

WTS has always been dishonest at its core. This statement is just another example thereof. It the natural outcome of a belief system devoid of self-honesty.

d4g

14

Adult Homework and Extra Credit

by lovesjehovah in

it seems that once we became sensible adult humans, we lost our way.

we stopped asking questions.

we submitted to the bidding of the world.

done4good

1. Improve public school system in areas of low income. This would empower low income families to actually have children that would qualify for a university education.

2. Free higher education for all.

3. Eliminate organized religion. (personal religious beliefs would be OK, as no one can effectively be the thought police, however no organizations would be permitted to be built around that belief).

4. Create an international coalition for water desalination, cleanup.

5. Invest heavily in R&D for alternative energy, (large sources would be needed for #4). This should include nuclear fusion.

6. Eliminate judgemental twits that assume everyone in the "world" doesn't give a shit.

d4g

4

In recent interview, Patti Smith talks about being raised JW.

by talesin in

from interview magazine, in october.

she has a new memoir, should be a good read.. [bold is mine, and yes!

to whole thing, and especially the last sentence.].

done4good

Big Patti Smith fan. Brilliant poet and rocker. Was planning to read M Train shortly. This post reminded me of that.

Thanks, Tal.

d4g

79

The really cool feeling of community within JWs

by Phaedra in

i remember going out with other jws after the memorial.. small gatherings.. picnics at some local landmark.. the feeling of closeness, camaraderie, friendship with like minded people you could trust.. haven't experienced it since i left.. really miss that..

done4good

Frank Ward - but I think learning the teachings of Jesus is better than having no moral teaching.

Here you go again with incredibly ignorant statements. Stop doing this to yourself.

What makes you assume that atheists have "no moral teaching"?

Please do some reading and educate yourself. Start with the bible. If read with even the slightest open mind, it becomes clear this book should never be used as a moral guide. That should give you your first hint where morals do not come from.

d4g

54

The Watchtower is not invincible

by Coded Logic in

despite claims to the contrary, there's no guarantee the watchtower will be around in a few decades time.

and it seems to me there's ever mounting evidence that the opposite may well be true.

but it's not just that recruitment is down and their defectors are up.

done4good

Phizzy - They know that they can go down the extremist/fundamentalist route and lose most members, but retain a few had-core types. Or they can go more Mainstream, retain almost as many as they have in the past, and still keep the money flowing in.

Going mainstream will not guarantee they keep members and keep money flowing in. WT is an authoritarian organization, and part of its success is based on its authority and control over its members. If this control is lost, many, many will likely leave, since the only thing keeping them in is that control. It is not in their DNA to even take a serious shot at this.

It's a catch-22 though. Becoming more hardcore is not a good option either. They really have been doing this for the last 20 years or so, and what has taken place is a steady outward flow of their best and brightest that continues to this day.

Given those two poor options, WT will likely keep the status quo, (meaning more control will be attempted), since a long, slow bleed out is preferable to crash and burn. It is the social evolutionary preference of immediate survival vs. long-term sustainability. WT really does not think long-term. Authoritarian regimes typically do not.

d4g